First Sunday of Christmas: The Synod of the Covenant
Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God

Presented by Leadership and Participants of
Cultivating the Gift of Preaching Initiative (CGPI)

Prelude: Sing We Now of Christmas

Welcome Matthew Aragon Bruce, Director, CGPI

Call to Worship
One:The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all.
All:Glory to God in the highest!
One:The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
All:Glory to God in the highest!
One:For a child has been born for us, a Son has been given to us.
All:Glory to God in the highest!
One:He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
All:Glory to God in the highest!
One:To us is born in the city of David a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.
All:Glory to God in the highest!
One: And the Word became flesh and lived among us.
All:Glory to God in the highest!
One:Let us worship God!

Carol:Once in Royal David’s City
Chancel Choir, Christ Presbyterian Church
Muskingum Valley Presbytery
(Join in on verses 3, 4 &5)
Jesus is our childhood’s pattern; day by day like us he grew;
He was little, weak and helpless; tears and smiles like us he knew;
And he feels for all our sadness, and he shares in all our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see him, through his own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle is our Lord from heaven above;
And he leads his children on to the place where he is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable, with the oxen standing by,
We shall see him; but in heaven, set at God’s right hand on high;
When like stars his children crowned, all in white shall wait around.

Confession and Grace
Prayer of Confession:

Carol of Thanksgiving

Old Testament Reading - 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
New Testament Reading - Luke 2: 41-52

Carol: Gentle Mary Laid Her Child

Reflection
Chip Hardwick, Synod Executive

Carol: Go Tell it On the Mountain
Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!
While shepherds kept their watching o’er silent flocks by night,
Behold, throughout the heavens there shone a holy light.
(chorus)
The shepherds feared and trembled when lo above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus that hailed our savior’s birth.
(chorus)
Down in a lowly manger the humble Christ was born,
And God sent us salvation that blessed Christmas morn.
(chorus)

The purpose of the Cultivating the Gift of Preaching Initiative is to identify, train, and provide ongoing support to emerging preachers. The eleven presbyteries of the Synod include numerous church leaders who are called and gifted to preach the good news. The aim of the Initiative is to cultivate these gifts through rigorous training in biblical interpretation, reformed theology, and sermon preparation. The Initiative aims to add 140 trained preachers across Synod over four 18-month training cycles, beginning in June of 2024 and concluding in 2028.
Applications for the 2025-26 cycle are available at www.synodofthecovenant.org/cultivating-the-gift-of-preaching.
For more information, contact director Matt Aragon-Bruce at matt@synodofthecovenant.org.

The Synod of the Covenant
1340 W Long Lake Rd
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
(248) 729-2415
soc@synodofthecovenant.org
www.synodofthecovenant.org

In our synod we’ll try anything to equip leaders who attend to God’s creative, emerging future.